Dental implantoplasty tool for treatment of peri-implantis in dental implants

ABSTRACT

A dental tool for resurfacing thread forms of a dental implant is disclosed. The tool includes a main body having a cylindrical member with a slot. A blade having a head is inserted in the slot to orient the head to protrude from the interior surface of the cylindrical member of the main body. The main body may be rotated into traversing a thread form of the implant. A compression sleeve is inserted over the main body. The compression sleeve has an open position and a closed position to hold the blade in the slot. The compression sleeve may be flexed by relative movement of the blades to resurface threads of a tapered dental implant.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No.15/807,307 filed on Nov. 8, 2017, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/497,094 filed on Nov. 8, 2016. Both ofthose applications and their contents are hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to dental implant tools and more specifically toa dental tool for resurfacing the threads of a dental implant to preventperi-implantis.

BACKGROUND

A well-known procedure is the dental restoration of a partially orwholly edentulous patient with artificial dentition. Typically, a dentalimplant is seated into the bone of a patient's jaw. The exterior of thedental implant will have a series of threads that assist in seating thedental implant in the bone and hold the dental implant to the bone. Thedental implant includes a socket, e.g., a bore, which is accessiblethrough the overlying or surrounding gum tissue for receiving andsupporting one or more attachments or components such as an abutment,which, in turn, are useful to fabricate and support prosthodonticrestorations. The dental implant generally includes a threaded bore toreceive a retaining screw for holding mating components therein. Dentalimplant procedures may use a variety of implanting modalities, forexample, blade, threaded implant, or smooth push-in implant to attachthe prosthetics.

Within the dental implant industry, there is a condition termedperi-implantitis that generally occurs and is chronic to dental implantsover a period of time. This condition is brought on by bacteria and ordebris attached to or attaching to the surfaces of the implant,eventually causing resorption of the surrounding bone leading to implantcompromise or failure. This condition is especially prevalent tothreaded implants, which are dominant within the industry market and themost difficult to clean, debride, and resurface for treatment.

Current treatment options for peri-implantitis are limited. Onetreatment option is scraping the implant with existing tooling. Thistechnique yields minimal results as the thread form of an implant doesnot allow access to most of the debris and bacteria. This techniquerequires hours of chair time for a patient with questionable results.Another treatment option is the use of oral debridement chemicals.However, such chemicals cannot penetrate the bacteria's buildup andtherefore also yield questionable results. Another technique is use ofbrushes and wire tools. Brushes and wire tools cannot provide theadequate pressures necessary to cut away the buildup also yieldingunsatisfactory results.

Thus, there is a need for a dental tool that facilitates treatment ofperi-implantis in dental implants. There is a further need for a dentaltool that may resurface the thread forms of a dental implant. There isalso a need for a dental tool that allows cleaning of a dental implantin an efficient manner.

SUMMARY

One disclosed example is a dental tool for resurfacing thread forms of adental implant. The tool includes a main body having a cylindricalmember with a slot. A blade has a head and is inserted in the slot toorient the head to protrude from an interior surface of the cylindricalmember of the main body. The main body may be rotated into traversing athread form of the implant. A compression sleeve is inserted over themain body having an open position and a closed position to hold theblade in the slot.

Another example is a method of resurfacing the thread form of a dentalimplant seated in bone. A dental tool is inserted over the dentalimplant. The dental tool includes a main body having a cylindricalmember with a slot. A blade having a head is inserted in the slot toorient the head to protrude from the interior surface of the main body.The dental tool has a compression sleeve inserted over the main body.The compression sleeve has an open position and a closed position tohold the blade in the slot. The dental tool is rotated in a firstrotational direction to contact the bone. The compression sleeve ismoved from the open position to the closed position. The dental tool ismoved in a second rotational direction to resurface the thread form ofthe dental implant by contact between the head and the thread form.

Another example is a dental tool for resurfacing thread forms of adental implant. The tool includes a main body having a cylindricalmember with a slot. The tool includes a blade having a head. The bladeis inserted in the slot to orient the head to protrude from an interiorsurface of the cylindrical member of the main body. The main body may berotated into traversing a tapered thread form of the implant. A flexiblecompression sleeve is inserted over the main body. The compressionsleeve has an open position and a closed position to hold the blade inthe slot. The blade may be moved in the slot to flex the compressionsleeve when following the tapered thread form of the implant.

Another disclosed example is a dental tool for resurfacing thread formsof a dental implant. The tool includes a main body having a cylindricalmember with a first lateral slot, a second lateral slot, and a thirdlateral slot. The tool includes a first blade having a head. The firstblade inserted in the first slot to orient the head to protrude from aninterior surface of the cylindrical member of the main body. The mainbody may be rotated into traversing a thread form of the implant. Thetool includes a second blade having a head. The second blade is insertedin the second slot to orient the head to protrude from the interiorsurface of the cylindrical member of the main body. The tool includes athird blade having a head. The third blade is inserted in the third slotto orient the head to protrude from the interior surface of thecylindrical member of the main body. A compression sleeve is insertedover the main body. The compression sleeve has an open position and aclosed position to hold the blades in the slots.

The foregoing and additional aspects and implementations of the presentdisclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art inview of the detailed description of various embodiments and/or aspects,which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description ofwhich is provided next.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other advantages of the present disclosure will becomeapparent upon reading the following detailed description and uponreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example assembled example dental toolwith a compression sleeve in a fully open position;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side cutaway view of the components of the exampledental tool in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side cutaway view of the assembly of the components of theexample dental tool in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective cutaway view of the assembly of the componentsof the example dental tool in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main body of the dental tool in FIG.1;

FIG. 6 is a front view of the main body of the dental tool in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the blade of the dental tool in FIG. 1for resurfacing the minor, flank and all other aspects of the thread;

FIG. 8 is a close-up perspective view of the blade of the tool in FIG. 1for resurfacing the major diameter of the thread;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the compression sleeve for deliveringfocused compression to the blades for the tool in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the containment pin of the tool in FIG.1;

FIG. 11A-11D are views of the use of the tool in FIG. 1 to resurface adental implant;

FIG. 12 is a close-up cross-section view of the heads of the blades ofthe dental tool in FIG. 1 interfacing with the thread forms of animplant;

FIG. 13 is a side view of another assembled example dental tool with amodified compression sleeve that allows the recutting of a taperedimplant thread;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the unassembled components of the exampledental tool in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the blades of the dental tool in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16A is a top view of the example dental tool in FIG. 13 with thepressure sleeve forcing the blades to extend from the interior surfaceof the tool;

FIG. 16B is a top view of the example dental tool in FIG. 13 with thepressure sleeve flexed to accommodate the tapered thread of a dentalimplant;

FIG. 17A is a side view of the blades in the dental tool in FIG. 13;

FIG. 17B is a side cross-section view of one of the blades in the dentaltool in FIG. 13 where the compression sleeve is not flexed;

FIG. 17C is a side cross-section view of one of the blades in the dentaltool in FIG. 13 flexing the compression sleeve from the tapered threadsof a dental implant;

FIG. 18 is a side view of an implant with a tapered thread form and thedental tool in FIG. 13;

FIG. 19 is a side view of a double threaded implant with another exampledental tool;

FIG. 20A is a top view of the double threaded implant with the pressuresleeve flexed on a double threaded implant having a tapered thread form;and

FIG. 20B is a top view of the double threaded implant with the exampledental tool of FIG. 19.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to belimited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present examples can be embodied in many different forms.Representative embodiments are shown in the drawings, and will herein bedescribed in detail. The present disclosure is an example orillustration of the principles of the present disclosure, and is notintended to limit the broad aspects of the disclosure to the embodimentsillustrated. To that extent, elements and limitations that aredisclosed, for example, in the Abstract, Summary, and DetailedDescription sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, shouldnot be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, byimplication, inference, or otherwise. For purposes of the presentdetailed description, unless specifically disclaimed, the singularincludes the plural and vice versa; and the word “including” means“including without limitation.” Moreover, words of approximation, suchas “about,” “almost,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and the like,can be used herein to mean “at, near, or nearly at,” or “within 3-5%of,” or “within acceptable manufacturing tolerances,” or any logicalcombination thereof, for example.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an assembled example dental tool 100.FIGS. 2-4 are different views of the different components of the dentaltool 100. FIGS. 5-10 are perspective views of the individual componentsof the dental tool 100 in FIG. 1. FIGS. 1-10 therefore show a main body110, a compression sleeve 112, a containment pin 114 and blades 120 and122. The main body 110 houses the set of blades 120 and 122 that havespecific geometries conforming to a specific thread form when compressedby the compression sleeve 112. The blades 120 and 122 are engaged intothe thread form of a dental implant. As explained below, the blades 120and 122 will recut affected or damaged thread surfaces of a dentalimplant to remove debris.

FIGS. 5-6 show the main body 110 of the tool 100 in FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 6, the main body 110 holds the blades 120 and 122 to provide acounter clockwise cutting action when the main body 110 is placed overthe implant and rotated.

The main body 100 includes a cylindrical socket member 200 that has anopen end 202 and an opposite end 204 that is joined to one end of asupport cylinder 210. The socket member 200 has an interior surface 224and an opposite exterior surface 226 that defines two slots 230 and 232.The slots 230 and 232 are cut into the exterior surface 226 of thesocket member 200. The slots 230 and 232 extend from the open end 202 tothe middle of the socket member 200. Each of the slots 230 and 232 hadrespective open ends 240 and 242 on the open end 202 of the socketmember 200. The slots 230 and 232 have respective opposite ends 250 and252 that have respective openings 254 and 256. The interior surface 224mounts an interior annular collar 258 that extends inwardly from theinterior surface 224. The openings 254 and 256 at the respective ends250 and 252 are wider than the slots 230 and 232. The openings 254 and256 extend through to the interior surface 224 to accommodate the blades120 and 122. The annular collar 258 provides support for the blades 120and 122 when they are inserted in the slots 230 and 232.

The support cylinder 210 has a connection member 260 that protrudes fromthe opposite end of the support cylinder 210. The support cylinder 210has a pair of holes 264 and 266 to the interior surface 224 foraccepting the containment pin 114 that may be inserted through the holes264 and 266 to lock in the compression sleeve 112 relative to the mainbody 110.

As may be seen in FIGS. 1-4, the main body 110 holds the two blades 120and 122. The two blades 120 and 122 have respective heads protrudingfrom the interior surface 224 of the main body 110. The blades 120 and122 are held in place on the main body 110 by the compression sleeve 112that is inserted over the main body 110. The compression sleeve 112locks the blades 120 and 122 in place. The containment pin 114 holds thecompression sleeve 112 in place. In this example, the main body 110 isfabricated from high temperature thermoplastic material such as RADEL.The blades 120 and 122 are fabricated from Nitinol material. Thecompression sleeve 112 and the containment pin 114 are fabricated fromTi-64 Eli titanium alloy. Of course any appropriate thermoplasticmaterial may be used for the main body 110. Of course other materialssuch as titanium and stainless steel may be used for the compressionsleeve 112, the containment pin 114 and the blades 120 and 122.

FIG. 7 is a close up perspective view of the blade 120. The blade 120includes a tab 300, a support member 302 and a head 304 opposite the tab300. The support member 302 of the blade 120 is inserted in the slot 230of the main body 110. The tab 300 is inserted in the opening 254 to lockthe blade 120 in position in the slot 230 as shown in FIG. 4. Thisallows the head 304 to be oriented to protrude from interior surface 224of the main body 110. The head 304 is shaped to allow the blade 120 tobe used for resurfacing the minor, flank and all other aspects of thethread form.

FIG. 8 is a close up perspective view of the blade 122. The blade 122includes a tab 350, a support member 352 and a head 354 opposite the tab350. The support member 352 of the blade 122 is inserted in the slot 232of the main body 110. The tab 350 is inserted in the opening 256 to lockthe blade 122 in position in the slot 232. This allows the head 354 tobe oriented to protrude from interior surface 224 of the main body 110.The head 354 is shaped to allow the blade 122 to be used for resurfacingthe major diameter of the thread form when the main body is insertedover a dental implant.

FIG. 9 shows the compression sleeve 112. Other views of the compressionsleeve may be seen in FIGS. 2-4. The compression sleeve 112 iscylindrically shaped with opposite open ends 400 and 402 that allow thecompression sleeve 112 to be slipped over the exterior surface 226 ofthe main body 110. The compression sleeve 112 includes a larger diametercylinder 410 and a smaller diameter cylinder 412. The cylinders 410 and412 form an interior bore 420 having one end at the open end 400. Asmaller diameter interior bore 422 extends from the opposite open end402. The interior bore 422 forms an annular shoulder 424 that definesthe opposite end of the interior bore 420. The diameter of the interiorbore 420 is a little larger than the diameter of the main body 110 toallow a snug fit when the compression sleeve 112 is telescoped over themain body 110. The open end 400 of the compression sleeve 112 isinserted over the end 204 of the support cylinder 210 and thecylindrical socket member 200. The compression sleeve 112 may beinserted over the cylindrical socket member 200. The compression sleeve112 may move from an open position against the containment pin 114 and aclosed position where the annular shoulder 424 contacts the end of thecylindrical socket member 200. When the compression sleeve 112 isinserted around the main body 110 in the closed position, it deliversfocused compression to hold the blades 120 and 122 in the respectiveslots 230 and 232 during the use of the dental tool 100. When the mainbody 110 is inserted over a dental implant, the compression sleeve 112provides rigid engagement of the heads 304 and 354 of the blades 120 and122 to the thread path of the dental implant conforming to the pitchangle and forcing a compounding angle condition.

FIG. 10 shows the containment pin 114 that provides a capture and stopfor the compression sleeve 112 when the containment pin 114 is insertedin the holes 264 and 266 in the support cylinder 210 as shown in FIGS.1-4. The containment pin 114 prevents the compression sleeve 112 fromsliding away from the main body 110. As explained above, when thecompression sleeve 112 is in the closed position, the end 402 of thecompression sleeve 112 abuts against the shoulder 424 contacting the endof the cylindrical socket member 200.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the blades 120 and 122 are encased withinrespective slots 230 and 232 of the main body 110. The blades 120 and122 are held in place by the compression sleeve 112 in the closedposition. The main body 110 is inserted over a dental implant and allowsthe heads 304 and 354 to engage the thread forms of the implant. Thesupport of the slots 230 and 232 provide fixed lateral and torsionalrigidity for the respective heads 304 and 354 during the cutting of thethread form of an implant. Without this rigidity, the blades 120 and 122would only abrade or polish rather than cut into the thread form of theimplant.

The connection member 260 has a square cross section in this example.The connection member 260 is designed for, but not limited to be usedwith a ratchet wrench commonly used in oral surgery, without the use ofa centering guide interface. The ratchet wrench may be mated to thesquare shaped connection member 260 and allows the main body 110 to berotated in a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction around an implantas will be explained below in reference to FIGS. 11A-11D.

The components of the dental tool 100 in FIG. 1 are assembled prior toresurfacing a dental implant. The blades 120 and 122 are inserted in theslots 230 and 232 of the main body 110. The tabs 300 and 350 of theblades 120 and 122 are inserted in the corresponding holes 254 and 256in the main body 110 when the blades 120 and 122 are inserted in therespective slots 230 and 232. The compression sleeve 112 is placed in anopen position over the main body 110 allowing the insertion of theblades 120 and 122. The compression sleeve 112 is locked in place byinserting the containment pin 114 through the holes 264 and 266 in thesupport cylinder 210. The compression sleeve 112 is moved to the closedposition when the annular shoulder 424 contacts the cylindrical socketmember 200. In the closed position, the compression sleeve 112 holds theblades 120 and 122 in place and causes the heads 304 and 354 to protrudefrom the interior surface 224.

FIGS. 11A-11D shows the application of the assembled dental tool 100 toresurface the thread form of a dental implant 1000. FIG. 11A shows adental assembly that includes the dental implant 1000, a retainingcomponent and a dental mating component that in this example is atemporary abutment 1010. Other mating components may include abutments,impression copings, cover screws, monolithic prosthesis, etc. The dentalimplant 1000 has a roughly cylindrical body that includes a closed endand an opposite open end. The cylindrical body includes an exteriorsurface and an interior surface. The exterior surface has a series ofthreads 1012 that hold the dental implant 1000 into the bone. Theimplant 1000 includes an interior bore that includes the interiorsurface. The interior bore allows the mounting of a temporary abutment.

Typically, a temporary abutment 1010 is installed while a permanentprosthetic is prepared. When the abutment 1010 is removed, there is riskof contamination from debris accumulated on the exposed exterior threads1012 of the implant 1000. FIG. 11A shows exterior threads 1012 of theimplant 1000 that engage bone when the dental implant 1000 is insertedin a patient. The dental implant 1000 has an interior bore 1022 thatholds a mounting screw 1124 that holds the temporary abutment 1010.

FIG. 11B shows the dental implant 1000 with the temporary abutment 1010removed. The dental tool 100 is used to resurface the threads 1012 andremove debris before a new mating component is inserted on the implant1000.

FIG. 11C shows the implant 1000 inserted in the bone 1030. As shown inFIG. 11C, parts of the threads 1012 over the bone 1030 are exposed andthus vulnerable to debris and bacteria. The dental tool 100 ispositioned over the implant 1000 with the compression sleeve 112 in anopen position. As shown in FIG. 11D, the socket member 200 of the dentaltool 100 is positioned so the heads 304 and 354 of the blades 120 and122 engage the threads 1012. The dental tool 100 is then rotated in aclockwise direction to the base of the level of the bone 1030. Therotation of the dental tool 100 is performed by engaging a wrench withthe connection member 260 of the support cylinder 210. The compressionsleeve 112 is then moved down to the closed position. The dental tool100 is then rotated in a counter-clockwise direction to move the dentaltool 100 away from the level of the bone 1030. In the rotation of thetool 100, the heads 304 and 354 of the blades 120 and 122 traverse thethreads 1012 and thereby clean and resurface the threads 1012.

FIG. 12 shows the interaction between the heads 304 and 354 of theblades 120 and 122 and the threads 1012 of the implant 1000. Each head304 and 354 of the blades 120 and 122 is positioned on or behind centerrespective to cutting direction allowing blade to cut efficiently andeffectively. Thus, the cutting face of the heads 304 and 354 are at theheight of the diameter of the thread allowing relief during cutting. Asshown in FIG. 12, the head 304 of the blade 120 contacts a minor aspect1030 and flanks 1032 and 1034 of the thread 1012 of the implant 1000.The contact of the head 304 scrapes away the material allowingresurfacing of the minor aspect 1030 and flanks 1032 and 1034. The head304 cleans away debris when the head 304 is rotated relative to theminor aspect 1030 of the thread 1012. The head 354 of the blade 122contacts a major aspect 1036 of the thread 1012 of the implant 1000. Thecontact of the head 354 scrapes away the material allowing resurfacingof the major aspect 1036. The head 354 cleans away debris when the head304 is rotated relative to the major aspect 1036 of the thread 1112.

The assembly of the blades 120 and 122, main body 110 and sleeve 112 aredesigned to cut and contain debris and material while working frombone/implant base upward in a counter clockwise rotation away from thebone 1030. The dental tool 100 thus resurfaces the thread surfaces ofthe implant 1000 rather than simply cleaning or debriding them. Theheads 304 and 354 of the blades 120 and 122 actually cut the implantmaterial creating a new implantoplasty surface desirable for bonegrafting.

The form of the heads 304 and 354 of the blades 120 and 122 is designedto be slightly larger in width, depth, and angle than the threads 1012.The larger dimensions of the heads 304 and 354 while engaged into theimplant thread 1012, and under pressure from the closed sleeve 112,force the cutter to lay slightly back causing a compound angle. Thisalso causes a conforming compression against the thread form of thethreads 1012, allowing an ever deepening cut if necessary. This allowsthe user to engage the dental tool 100 and use multiple rotationalmotions up and down the implant 1000 to deepen the cut if it is desiredto further remove the material of the implant 1000.

The example dental tool 100 is designed so all aspects of the implantthread geometry are cut simultaneously within one rotational pass of thedental tool 100. Thus, the thread root, thread flank, and thread crestof the thread form are cut by the dental tool 100. The example dentaltool 100 is designed so the blades 120 and 122 can be rigid no matterthe length of the thread of the dental implant to be cut. In thisexample, the working length of the dental tool 100 is about 10 mm,although a longer working length of the dental tool 100 may be providedusing the principles described herein.

As explained above, the blades 120 and 122 of the dental tool 100 arenot fixed to the main body 110. The blades 120 and 122 are capturedwithin the assembly with the main body 110 and the compression sleeve112 allowing the blades 120 and 122 to pivot to maneuver over theimplant 1000 when the sleeve 112 is drawn to the closed position to holdthe blades 120 and 122.

The example dental tool 100 allows thorough cleaning and resurfacing ofall aspects of the thread form of a dental implant such as the implant1000 in FIGS. 11-12. These aspects include minor, major and flankaspects as well as all surfaces of the thread form. The example dentaltool 100 allows the ability to cut deep in the implant surface due torigid compression to provide a complete new surface which is key toimplantoplasty success. The example dental tool 100 provides cleaned newsurfaces within minutes rather than hours of chair time. The exampledental tool 100 retains debris instead of dispersing debris throughoutthe implant site. The example dental tool 100 also provides an option tosave a failing implant site rather than requiring a replacement thussaving the need for additional prosthetic work.

The example dental tool 100 may be designed and built to interact withvarious thread forms and be specific to all makes and models of threadeddental implants. The utilization of the example dental tool 100 caninterrupt the onset of peri-implantitis by resurfacing the implantthread form. This allows for successful bone grafting and ensures of theimplants response to the grafted site. This allows the continuedutilization of the existing prosthetics which are built to the existingimplant's position. This creates a savings of thousands of dollars byusing the existing implant rather than removal and replacement,scrapping the prosthetics mentioned.

The pressure sleeve 112 shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 9 is also functional whenmade of rigid plastic, such as PEEK as well as the Radel materialdescribed above, providing enough rigid engagement to the blades toperform the task of resurfacing the thread of the dental implants. Aswill be explained before, a sleeve made of more flexible material allowsfor a dental tool that may be used to recut affected or damaged threadsurfaces of a dental implant to remove debris when the thread depth isof a varying depth.

Some dental implant designs have a thread that tapers away from thecentral axis of the implant as the implant is conically shaped to thetip. Thus, the depth of the thread decreases as it travels towards thetip of the implant. By creating clearance between the main body and thepressure sleeve by thinning the wall of the pressure sleeve where thesleeve makes contact over the blade head allowing for expansion of thesleeve as the blades follow the tapered path of the thread of thetapered implant. This expansion or elongation of the sleeve happens whenthe sleeve with added clearance can compress in one axis whileelongating in another allowing the blade to maintain and even increaseengagement pressure as it traverses the tapered thread path.

FIG. 13 shows a side view of another assembled example dental tool 1300with a modified compression sleeve that allows the recutting of atapered implant thread. FIG. 14 is a side view of the unassembledcomponents of the example dental tool 1300 in FIG. 13. FIG. 15 is a sideview of the blades of the dental tool 1300. FIG. 16A is a top view ofthe example dental tool 1300 with the compression sleeve forcing theblades to extend from the interior surface of the tool. FIG. 16B is atop view of the example dental tool 1300 with the compression sleeveflexed to accommodate the tapered thread. FIG. 17A is a side view of theblades in the dental tool 1300. FIG. 17B is a side cross-section view ofone of the blades in the dental tool 1300 where the compression sleeveis in a normal shape when initially placed in the closed position. FIG.17C is a side cross-section view of one of the blades in the dental tool1300 flexing the compression sleeve from the tapered threads of theimplant. FIG. 18 is a side view of a tapered thread implant 1400 and thelocation of the blade from the tool 1300.

FIGS. 13-17 show a main body 1310, a compression sleeve 1312, acontainment pin 1314, and blades 1320 and 1322 of the tool 1300. Themain body 1310 houses the set of blades 1320 and 1322 that have specificgeometries conforming to a tapered thread form when compressed by thecompression sleeve 1312. The blades 1320 and 1322 are engaged over thethreads of a tapered thread form 1402 of the dental implant 1400 shownin FIG. 18. As explained below, the blades 1320 and 1322 will recutaffected or damaged thread surfaces of a dental implant such as thetapered form dental implant 1400 to remove debris.

The main body 1310 of the example dental tool 1300 is identical to themain body 110 shown in FIGS. 1-10. Like element numbers of the main body1310 are labeled with identical element numbers to those of the mainbody 110 shown in FIGS. 1-10.

As may be seen in FIGS. 16A-16B and 17, the main body 1310 holds the twoblades 1320 and 1322. The two blades 1320 and 1322 have respective headsprotruding from the interior surface 224 of the main body 1310. Theblades 1320 and 1322 are held in place on the main body 1310 by thecompression sleeve 1312 that is inserted over the main body 1310. Thecompression sleeve 1312 locks the blades 1320 and 1322 in place on themain body 1310 when the compression sleeve 1312 is placed in the closedposition.

FIG. 15 is a close up perspective view of the blade 1320 and blade 1322.The blade 1320 includes a tab 1330, a support member 1332, and a head1334 opposite the tab 1330. The support member 1332 of the blade 1320 isinserted in the slot 230 of the main body 1310. The tab 1330 is insertedin the opening 254 of the main body 1310 to lock the blade 1320 inposition in the slot 230 of the main body 1310 as shown in FIGS. 16A-16Band 17A. This allows the head 1334 to be oriented to protrude frominterior surface 224 of the main body 1310. The head 1334 is shaped toallow the blade 1320 to be used for resurfacing the minor diameter,flank and all other aspects of the thread form. A back end 1336 of thehead 1334 is shaped more bulbously than the head 304 of the blade 120 inFIG. 7 to allow the additional flexibility of the sleeve 1312 as will beexplained below.

The blade 1322 includes a tab 1340, a support member 1342, and a head1344 opposite the tab 1340. The support member 1342 of the blade 1322 isinserted in the slot 232 of the main body 1310. The tab 1340 is insertedin the opening 256 to lock the blade 1322 in position in the slot 232 ofthe main body 1310. This allows the head 1344 to be oriented to protrudefrom interior surface 224 of the main body 1310. The head 1344 is shapedto allow the blade 1322 to be used for resurfacing the major diameter ofthe thread form when the main body is inserted over a dental implant. Aback end 1346 of the head 1344 is shaped more bulbously than the head354 of the blade 122 in FIG. 8 to allow the additional flexibility ofthe sleeve 1312 as will be explained below.

FIGS. 13-14 show the compression sleeve 1312. The compression sleeve1312 is cylindrically shaped with opposite open ends 1360 and 1362 thatallow the compression sleeve 1312 to be slipped over the exteriorsurface 226 of the main body 1310. The compression sleeve 1312 includesa larger diameter cylinder 1370 and a smaller diameter cylinder 1372.The cylinders 1370 and 1372 form an interior bore 1380 having one end atthe open end 1360. A smaller diameter interior bore 1382 extends fromthe opposite open end 1362. The interior bore 1382 forms an annularshoulder 1384 that defines the opposite end of the interior bore 1380.The diameter of the interior bore 1380 is a little larger than thediameter of the main body 1310 to allow a snug fit when the compressionsleeve 1312 is telescoped over the main body 1310. The open end 1360 ofthe compression sleeve 1312 is inserted over the end of the supportcylinder 210 and the cylindrical socket member 200. The compressionsleeve 1312 may be inserted over the cylindrical socket member 200. Thecompression sleeve 1312 may move from an open position against thecontainment pin 1314 and a closed position where the annular shoulder1384 contacts the end of the cylindrical socket member 200. When thecompression sleeve 1312 is inserted around the main body 1310 in theclosed position, it delivers focused compression to hold the blades 1320and 1322 in the respective slots 230 and 232 during the use of thedental tool 1300. When the main body 1310 is inserted over a dentalimplant, the compression sleeve 1312 provides rigid engagement of theheads 1334 and 1344 of the blades 1320 and 1322 to the thread path ofthe dental implant conforming to the pitch angle and forcing acompounding angle condition.

The compression sleeve 1312 includes another annular counter bore 1390that forms a shoulder 1392 near the respective heads of the blades 1320and 1322 when the sleeve 1312 is inserted over the main body 1310. Thusa thin wall 1394 is formed near the open end 1360 of the compressionsleeve 1312 by the counter bore 1390. As will be explained below, thethin wall 1394 and counter bore 1390 creates a larger diameter at theend of the compression sleeve 1312 to accommodate the relatively largerends 1336 and 1346 of the blades 1320 and 1322 respectively. In thisexample, the compression sleeve 1312 is manufactured from rigid plasticthat allows the area of the thin wall 1394 to be deformed by outwardpressure from the blades 1320 and 1322 from the threads of an implant.

The components of the dental tool 1300 in FIGS. 13-14 are assembledprior to resurfacing a dental implant. The blades 1320 and 1322 areinserted in the slots 230 and 232 of the main body 1310. The tabs 1330and 1340 of the blades 1320 and 1332 are inserted in the correspondingholes 254 and 256 in the main body 1310 when the blades 1320 and 1322are inserted in the respective slots 230 and 232. The compression sleeve1312 is placed in an open position over the main body 1310 allowing theinsertion of the blades 1320 and 1232. The compression sleeve 1312 islocked in place by inserting the containment pin 1314 through the holesin the support cylinder 210. As explained above, similar to the dentaltool 100, the compression sleeve 1312 is moved to the closed positionafter the dental tool 100 is inserted over the implant and contacts thebone. The compression sleeve 1312 is in the closed position where theannular shoulder 1384 contacts the cylindrical socket member 200. In theclosed position, the compression sleeve 1312 holds the blades 1320 and1322 in place and causes the heads 1334 and 1344 to protrude from theinterior surface 224 and contact the thread of the implant.

The thin wall 1394 of the compression sleeve 1312 allows the blades 1320and 1322 to move relatively more to accommodate different taperedheights of threads on an implant as the thin wall 1392 may be flexed outby outward pressure from the blades 1320 and 1322. FIG. 18 shows anexample implant 1400 with the tapered form 1402. The implant 1400 isinserted to protrude partially from bone 1404. The tapered form 1402defines a tapered interior side wall 1410. The interior side wall 1410has a tapered thread 1420 that includes threads 1422, 1424, 1426, 1428,and 1430 of different depths. Because of the flexibility of thecompression sleeve 1312, when the dental tool 1300 is initially insertedover the implant 1400 to contact the bone 1404, the blades 1320 and 1322may be allowed more freedom of movement to follow the tapering of thethread 1420 compared with the dental tool 100 in relation to the uniformthread of an implant as shown in FIGS. 11-12.

When the tool 1300 is initially inserted over the thread 1420 of theimplant 1400 and the compression sleeve 1312 is placed in the closedposition, the thread depth at the heads 1334 and 1344 of the blades 1320and 1322 is relatively deep. Thus the compression sleeve 1312 retains amore circular shape as shown in FIG. 16A since the heads 1334 and 1344may be extended fully from the interior surface 224 of the main body1310. FIG. 18 shows the contact of the head 1334 of the blade 1320 at aminor aspect 1430 of the thread 1420 including a flank of the thread1422 when the tool 1300 is fully positioned over the implant 1400 andthe compression sleeve 1312 is in a closed position. Similarly, the head1344 of the blade 1322 will contact the major aspect of the threads suchas thread 1420.

As shown in FIG. 18, a minor aspect 1432 has a smaller relative depththan the minor aspect 1430 and thus when the head 1334 contacts theminor aspect 1430 initially, it will be pushed away from the implant1400. As the tool 1300 is rotated further up on the implant 1400 overthe tapered thread form 1402, the minor aspect and major aspects of thethread 1420 will push the blades 1320 and 1322 outward and flex out thecompression sleeve 1312 as shown in FIG. 16B. Each successive threaddecreases in depth closer to the head of the implant 1400 and when thetool 1300 is rotated to the level of the head of the implant 1400, thecompression sleeve 1312 will be fully flexed as shown in FIG. 16B.

The flexibility of the sleeve 1312 may be seen in the top views shown inFIGS. 16A-16B and the side views in FIGS. 17A-17C. FIG. 16A shows thetop view of the location of the blades 1320 and 1322 when the tool 1300is initially inserted on the implant 1400. FIG. 17B shows a side view ofthe location of the blades 1320 and 1322 when the tool 1300 is initiallyinserted on the implant 1400. Since the threads 1420 are relativelydeeper from the surface of the implant 1400 such as shown in the thread1422, the heads 1340 and 1342 of the blades 1320 and 1322 are extendedfully from the interior surface of the cylinder 1310 resulting in thecompression sleeve 1312 having a normal circular shape as shown in FIGS.16A and 17B. FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B shows a side view of the location ofthe blade 1320 when the tool 1300 is initially positioned covering mostof the implant 1400 and the compression sleeve 1312 is placed in theclosed position. As the dental tool 1300 is rotated upward, thecorresponding edges 1336 and 1346 of the heads 1334 and 1346 thus pushon the thin wall 1394 of the sleeve 1312 and expand the sleeve 1312 awayfrom the implant 1400. The thin wall 1394 and the relatively moreflexible material of the sleeve 1312 allows compression in one axis(vertical in FIG. 16B) while elongating in another axis (horizontal inFIG. 16B), allowing the blades 1320 and 1322 to maintain and evenincrease engagement pressure as the tool 1300 traverses the taperedthread path of the implant 1400.

As the tool 1300 is rotated upward to further recut affected or damagedthread surfaces of the threads 1420 of the implant 1400, the depth ofthe threads 1420 decreases as shown by the threads 1430 and 1432 in FIG.18. The thin walls 1394 of the sleeve 1312 allows the blades 1320 and1322 to be pushed outward and thus follow the contour of the shallowerthreads. FIG. 16B shows the top view of the location of the blades 1320and 1322 when the tool 1300 is rotated to a position exposing most ofthe implant 1400. As is shown in FIGS. 16B and 17C, the heads 1334 and1344 are pushed outward thereby flexing the compression sleeve 1300. Inthis manner, the expansion or elongation of the sleeve 1312 at the thinwall 1394 increases as the tool 1300 traverses the tapered thread pathof the implant.

Further, there are some implant designs that utilize a multi startthread configuration to increase the surface area of the bone contactand for a more rapid advance during insertion. In this case, the mainbody 110 of the tool 100 in FIGS. 1-10 is modified to accommodate threeblades to allow the cleaning and resurfacing of an implant with a multistart thread configuration. FIG. 19 shows another example dental tool1900 that has multiple blades to resurface the threads of an implant1910 with a multi-thread configuration inserted in a bone 1908. Theimplant 1910 has two sets of threads 1912 and 1914. Each thread 1912 and1914 has a series of minor aspects and major aspects. The multiplethreads may also be tapered if the implant 1910 has a tapered formsimilar to the threads on the tapered form of the implant 1400 shown inFIG. 18.

The dental tool 1900 is similar to the dental tools 100 and 1300discussed above with the addition of a third blade. The tool 1900includes a main body 1920 similar to the main body 100 in FIGS. 1-10with a third slot as shown in a top view in FIG. 20A. The tool 1900 alsoincludes a compression sleeve 1922 that ensures that the blades contactthe threads of the implant when the compression sleeve 1922 is in theclosed position. Thus, the main body 1920 holds two blades 1930 and 1932that resurface the minor aspects of the implant 1910 and a third blade1934 for resurfacing the major aspects of both threads 1912 and 1914. Asmay be seen in FIG. 19, the two blades 1930 and 1932 include respectiveheads 1940 and 1942 that serve to resurface the minor aspects of thethreads 1912 and 1914 of the implant 1910. The other blade 1934 includesa head 1944 for resurfacing the major aspects of both threads 1912 and1914. In this example, the blades 1930, 1932, and 1934 are fabricatedfrom metal. The main body 1920 is fabricated from thermoplasticmaterial. The compression sleeve 1922 may be fabricated from eithermetal or thermoplastic material. FIG. 19 shows the tool 1900 when it isinitially inserted over the implant 1910 and rests near the level of thebone 1908.

FIG. 20B shows a modification of the tool 1900 with the compressionsleeve 1922 being fabricated from more flexible material such asthermoplastic material. As shown in FIG. 20B, the more flexiblecompression sleeve 1922 allows the user of the tool 1900 with implantswith multiple threads having a tapered form. The modified tool 1900 isinserted over the implant and the compression sleeve 1922 is placed inthe closed position. Since the threads near the bone level arerelatively deeper, the heads 1940, 1942 and 1944 of the blades 1930,1932, and 19334 are extended fully from the main body 1920 when thecompression sleeve is moved to the closed position as shown in FIG. 20A.As the modified tool 1900 is rotated up the implant, the blades willfollow the tapering of the threads and the compression sleeve 1922eventually reaches a shape similar to that shown in FIG. 20B. Similar towhat is shown in FIG. 16B, the compression sleeve 1922 is flexed out toallow the blades to follow the shallower threads at the top of theimplant.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “including”,“includes,” “having,” “has,” “with,” or variants thereof, are used ineither the detailed description and/or the claims, such terms areintended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore terms, such as those definedin commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaningthat is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevantart, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal senseunless expressly so defined herein.

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample only, and not limitation. Numerous changes to the disclosedembodiments can be made in accordance with the disclosure herein,without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, thebreadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by anyof the above described embodiments. Rather, the scope of the inventionshould be defined in accordance with the following claims and theirequivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dental tool for resurfacing tapered threadforms of a dental implant, the tool comprising: a main body having acylindrical member with a slot; a blade having a head, the bladeinserted in the slot to orient the head to protrude from an interiorsurface of the cylindrical member of the main body, wherein the mainbody may be rotated into traversing a tapered thread form of theimplant; and a flexible compression sleeve inserted over the main body,the compression sleeve having an open position and a closed position tohold the blade in the slot, wherein when the compression sleeve is inthe closed position and the main body is rotated, the blade follows thetapered thread form and moves in the slot to expand the compressionsleeve away from the dental implant.
 2. The dental tool of claim 1,further comprising a second blade including a second head, wherein thesecond blade is inserted in a second slot in the main body, the secondhead oriented to protrude from the interior surface of the cylindricalmember of the main body.
 3. The dental tool of claim 1, wherein the headof the blade is shaped to allow the blade to resurface a major diameterof the thread form.
 4. The dental tool of claim 2, wherein the secondhead of the second blade is shaped to resurface the minor and flankaspects of the thread form.
 5. The dental tool of claim 1, wherein themain body and the compression sleeve are fabricated from a thermoplasticmaterial.
 6. The dental tool of claim 1, wherein the compression sleeveis rigid plastic such as PEEK or Radel.
 7. A dental tool for resurfacingthread forms of a dental implant, the tool comprising: a main bodyhaving a cylindrical member with a first lateral slot, a second lateralslot, and a third lateral slot; a first blade having a lateral supportmember having an interior surface and an outer surface, and a headextending from one end of the inner surface, the support member of thefirst blade inserted in the first slot to orient the head to protrudefrom an interior surface of the cylindrical member of the main body,wherein the outer surface is flush with an exterior surface of thecylindrical member and the inner surface is flush with the interiorsurface of the cylindrical member when the support member is inserted inthe first slot, and wherein the main body may be rotated into traversinga thread form of the implant; a second blade having a lateral supportmember and a head, the support member of the second blade inserted inthe second slot to orient the head to protrude from the interior surfaceof the cylindrical member of the main body, wherein the support memberis flush with an exterior surface of the cylindrical member and theinterior surface of the cylindrical member when the support member isinserted in the second slot; a third blade having a head, the thirdblade inserted in the third slot to orient the head to protrude from theinterior surface of the cylindrical member of the main body; and acompression sleeve inserted over the main body, the compression sleevehaving an open position and a closed position to hold the blades in theslots.
 8. The dental tool of claim 7, wherein the first head of thefirst blade is shaped to resurface the minor and flank aspects of afirst thread on the implant and wherein the second head of the secondblade is shaped to resurface the minor and flank aspects of a secondthread on the implant.
 9. The dental tool of claim 7, wherein the headof the third blade is shaped to allow the blade to resurface a majordiameter of the first and second threads.
 10. The dental tool of claim7, wherein the main body is fabricated from a thermoplastic material andthe blades are fabricated from metal.
 11. The dental tool of claim 10,wherein the compression sleeve is fabricated from metal.
 12. The dentaltool of claim 10, wherein the compression sleeve is fabricated from athermoplastic material.
 13. The implant tool of claim 12, wherein thecompression sleeve is rigid plastic such as PEEK or Radel.
 14. Theimplant tool of claim 12, wherein the first blade may be moved in thefirst slot and the second blade may be moved in the second slot toexpand the compression sleeve away from the implant when following atapered thread form of the implant.